DEAR SUN SPOTS: We are writing to ask for help from the community for we are seeking yarn for our knitters. We also need more volunteers from our community to work with our elderly clients, who are waiting for someone to visit them and help them with their errands.

We are in need of four-ply yarn of all colors, in good condition, to support our volunteers who are busy knitting hats, mittens, baby items and Afghans, which in turn are given to the needy of all ages in Androscoggin County. The yarn is donated to SEARCH and given out to our knitters as needed.

Our SEARCH (Seek Elderly Alone, Renew, Courage and Hope) program is part of Catholic Charities Maine at 270 Minot Ave., Auburn. We have wonderful volunteers who are matched to our elderly and disabled clients. They help the clients by making reassurance calls, home visits or by assisting them with errands. If you are interested in volunteering with the elderly, I would love to talk to you about joining our program and volunteering with us.

For more information about donating yarn or becoming a volunteer with us, please call our office at 784-0157. Thank you for your donations, and we hope that you will join our program by becoming a volunteer and help make a difference in the life of an elderly person in our community. With much gratitude. — Wendy Russell, program director

DEAR SUN SPOTS: As the innkeeper of a small B&B, I find that we gather an abundance of slightly used quality soaps. We collect large containers of these 1.33-ounce bars. Despite offering them to any and all possible organizations that may be able to use them, we end up throwing away all that we can’t use personally.

The soaps are key lime glycerin and cocoa butter jojoba French-milled bars that have mostly been used once and left behind. Yes, they are used, but we’re talking about soap! Rinse the bars off thoroughly and use them, carve them into little animals for the kids to use, do something with them so they don’t go to waste.

Can anyone out there use these soaps? I’m happy to keep you supplied as the containers fill. — Jan Barrett, [email protected], 783-8171

ANSWER: Sun Spots is a fiend about not wasting anything (Mr. Sun Spots always teases her when she takes home the motel soap) and admires your efforts. Have you tried homeless shelters? Another person who might be interested is Calvin Dube, an advocate for newly released inmates. You can reach him at 782-6389.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: First off, I want to thank all the people who responded to my request for a fireman’s helmet and boots for my son. You’ve never seen a bigger grin on a kid’s face! One nice person even gave him a jacket and badge.

Now we are in need of some clean, used egg cartons. Frankie has 14 chickens, and he sells the eggs to buy more feed and hay for them. I can pick them up if it’s not too far, or people can drop them off at Viewer’s Choice Video on Main Street in Mexico. Thanks in advance. — Laurie, 562-4926

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I work for a small nursing facility in Lewiston. We have nine boxes (six one-liter units per box) of Nutren 1.5 Tube Feeding to donate. Keep in mind that this is strictly used for a patient who is fed through a g-tube and is not meant for oral ingestion.

It is made by Nestle Nutrition and all packages have not yet expired. We would like to donate it to another medical facility or an individual who would be able to use it, as we have no use for it at this time. We have checked with companies who accept medical supply donations, but to no avail.

Please feel free to contact us with questions, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 786-0482. — Katrina via e-mail

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be e-mailed to [email protected].